Chapter 6 Pumping Line

If you got it, you can put the pump back at the instrument rear and follow you job by the bearings lubrication
of the molecular pump.

6.2.3 Diaphragm pump ARL MP1-V3 – Version 3

The diaphragm pump is a four headed pump especially designed by Alcatel for the Thermo Electron
application. It is located at the bottom of the centre bay, at the back of the instrument.

The pump must operate continuously. In the case of a retrofit of this pump on an old instrument with the
switching board (see above section 6.2.1.1 Switching Board Diaphragm Pump) it is essential that the bridge
BR1 remains inserted on the board.

This diaphragm pump can withstand the vacuum, and therefore does not need a valve for putting back the
diaphragm stage at the atmospheric pressure after every pump stop.

6.2.3.1 Air Ballast

The pump does not evacuate well the condensable elements pumped in the spectrometer, which leads to an
accumulation of liquid on the membrane supports and to a premature deterioration of those, more specifically
on the last stage level, even the last but one.

To avoid this problem one introduces a small air leak between the stages of the diaphragm pump (before the
last stage) by replacing a top by a calibrated (Ø 0,2 mm) air ballast system provided with a silencer which
acts as an inlet filter.

This makes possible to maintain a permanent flow in the pump and thus to prevent liquid stagnation in the
pump. The addition of this leakage degrades only very slightly the primary vacuum without affecting the
correct operation of the molecular pump which ensures the vacuum inside the spectrometer.

The diaphragm pump should not be put in function without the air ballast, except for a vacuum leak detection
survey. In such a case it is necessary to replace the air ballast by a top during the leak measurement and not
to forget to put back the air ballast at the end of the operation.

Air ballast
and silencer

Figure 6.22

6-12 Technical Description - ARL 3460 AA83346